


A Grain of Truth

by LuckOfADraw (Mirime)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Fox Miraculous, Love Triangles, Peacock Miraculous, Pre-Series, Slice of Life, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2016-11-29
Packaged: 2018-09-02 03:13:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8649382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mirime/pseuds/LuckOfADraw
Summary: Nathalie loves Adèle. Adèle loves Gabriel. Nathalie doesn't care (it's a lie).





	

The key to creating the best illusions and lies was to keep them close to the truth.

"You almost broke his nose!"

Nathalie shrugged and inspected her clawed gloves.

"I didn't see who he was before I hit him." A lie. "He's been following us, I was only defending myself." A semi-lie. "I tried to hold back." An almost truth. "I'm sorry." A big, fat, whooper of a lie.

Adèle sighed and went back to pressing a handkerchief to Gabriel Agreste's bloody nose. The man in question muttered something. Adèle took away the handkerchief.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I wasn't following you," Gabriel said, his voice having gone nasal and Nathalie worked hard to keep her face expressionless and not to smirk as she wanted to. "My apartment is a few streets over, I was walking home."

"A convenient excuse," Nathalie scoffed.

"Volpina!" Adèle glared up at her. "He has no reason to lie."

Nathalie crossed her arms and looked away from the two people in front of her. She hated how soft Adèle's face became under the blue-green mask of Le Paon when in the presence of one Gabriel Agreste. She had hoped that her best friend's crush would have fizzled out over the year they had been out of the lycée and the near-daily contact with him. That was obviously not the case.

Nathalie suddenly regretted not hitting him even harder. Who the hell was Gabriel Agreste to still hold Adèle's heart in the palm of his undeserving hand?

"It's going to swell but I'm certain nothing's broken." Adèle's voice shook Nathalie out of her increasingly darkening thoughts. "Soon you'll be just as handsome as ever."

Nathalie gagged. Gabriel had turned an interesting shade of red and Adèle blushed, too. It was almost as if they had forgotten Nathalie was there. Well, if they weren't going to pay attention to her, she might as well leave. Being aware of their ridiculous flirting was painful enough, she wasn't going to stick around and watch it happen.

"I'll take that as my cue to leave. Have fun playing nurse!"

She left before they could stop her. Although, she doubted they had even tried.

* * *

Adèle came back to their shared apartment less than a half an hour later. Nathalie didn't turn away from her aggressive chopping of vegetables to respond to her greeting.

"You must be really upset if you're cooking."

"I set out some sunflower seeds for Duusu. Trixx already ate."

"Nathalie."

Adèle could be very stubborn when she wanted to be. It was better to give her a partial explanation.

"I don't like Gabriel Agreste."

"Still?" Adèle's voice clearly portrayed her disbelief. Nathalie set the knife down and glanced over her shoulder, raising one eyebrow.

"Says the woman who's **still** crushing on him."

Adèle flushed. It really brought out her eyes.

"That's not relevant. What has he ever done to you?"

Nathalie pushed the chopped vegetables into a pot, stirring them for a moment. _Aside from catching and keeping your attention? Aside from the fact he's unworthy of you?_ But she couldn't say that. Adèle would try and understand but would only end up pitying her, telling her she wasn't feeling the same.

"Have you never met a person who just rubbed you the wrong way? There's nothing personal in it, just two people who were never meant to be friends."

Adèle sighed. Out of the corner of her eye, Nathalie saw her nod to herself.

"I suppose that's true."

Nathalie had to force out her next words but Adèle's happiness was more important than her jealousy issues.

"If you want to keep seeing him, I'll do my best to get along with him. No more hitting him in the face."

"That would be appreciated." There was a pause and then... "It's a very attractive face."

Nathalie snorted.

"Maybe if you're into rats."

Adèle gasped but Nathalie could hear the suppressed snort that followed.

"I feel so supported right now."

"What are best friends for, right?"

Adèle's smile lit up the entire room. And Nathalie resolutely told herself it was worth it.

* * *

Nathalie was never more glad to have perfected an unaffected facade years ago while still in the lycée. It served her well as she pretended to be happy for her best friend who was marrying someone who wasn't her. PACS had gone into effect earlier that year so it would have been possible. If not for the fact Adèle didn't feel that way about her.

Nathalie took a sip from her glass, observing the bride and groom as they finished their first dance together. They would dance with their parents next and then the rest of the guests would join them. The man who had been Gabriel's witness looked at her but she ignored him. It was enough that she was there, she wasn't going to force herself to participate more than necessary.

Adèle was beautiful, though. She had chosen a dress with a train, laughing over the inside joke with Nathalie. Being twirled around the dance floor by her father, she drew the looks of everyone present. Her palpable happiness was the only reason Nathalie was enduring this farce.

* * *

Music was playing, drinks were being refilled and Nathalie's face was starting to hurt from the forced calm she was maintaining. Those guests who knew her a little didn't find her stand-offish attitude strange. She had a reputation, after all. Those who didn't know her gave her a wide berth after she sharply rebuffed the first couple of them telling her to cheer up.

"May I have this dance?"

The last person Nathalie wanted to see at the moment stood in front of her, his hand offered expectantly. She could see Adèle at the other end of the room, watching the two of them hopefully and so she sighed and nodded.

Gabriel led her to the dance floor, his hand settling on her waist and Nathalie was glad for having chosen a dress with a high-cut back instead of the low-cut she had contemplated. Holding his other hand was bad enough.

"You don't like me much, do you?" he asked as they swayed to the music.

"I don't see why that matters," she replied. "I doubt I'm the only one."

"But you're the only one who matters to my wife." Nathalie flinched at that word and by the way Gabriel's eyes narrowed, he had caught it. "I know why you don't like me. You love her."

The half-lie Nathalie had perfected over the years slipped out immediately.

"Of course I love her. She's my best friend."

"That's not what I meant."

Nathalie pursed her lips and looked away from his knowing gaze. They moved silently for a while.

"We both love the same woman, can't we try and be friends for her sake?"

Nathalie scowled at him.

"You can never love her like I do," she hissed out, her voice trembling. And that was when Gabriel surprised her. She had expected him to argue, to deny her accusation but all he did was breath out softly, his shoulders slumping.

"I know that. I'm too selfish for it. I could never let her go she could be happy with someone who's not me."

Nathalie looked over his shoulder, blinking away her tears. She would not give Gabriel Agreste the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

"If we can't be friends, can we at least call a truce?"

Nathalie took a deep breath. For Adèle, she told herself. Because she wanted her to be happy.

"An armistice," she said. "We'll see about that truce in ten years."

"Acceptable."

* * *

"I finally have one good thing to say about your husband," Nathalie told Adèle after her friend sought her out to ask about the earlier dance.

"Miracles do happen," Adèle said and leaned closer. "Tell me, what is it?"

"He's a decent dancer."

Adèle laughed. Nathalie laughed with her and repeated to herself the mantra of the past few years. _Her smile is worth it._

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written and posted on my [Tumblr](http://mirime-kisarrastine.tumblr.com/post/153704533391/a-grain-of-truth-a-ml-fanfic) for gabriel-fucking-agreste's birthday. I'm posting it here, as well, because there isn't enough Nathalie-centric fics on this site.


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